Beginning March 25, Visitors to Kane Area School District campuses will be asked by office staff to present a state driver’s license or a photo ID. School visitors who do not have an ID will be given information on how to procure one.

Staff will scan the IDs and present visitors with a printed sticker to wear, which will show their photo, time of entry and destination inside the campus. When a visitor leaves campus, they will be required to return to the office to check out with office staff before they leave the building.

In addition, a daily report will track the entrance and exit of all visitors to the schools. The digital log will replace the paper nametags currently given to school visitors while classes are in session.

“The purpose of the new system is to make schools safer for our students,” said Mark Candalor, School District Technology Director. “It’s all about the children.”

The new entry system will be installed at the Kane Area High School, the Kane Middle School, the Kane Elementary School and the administration office wing at the middle school. To prepare for the new electronic log process, the technology department is placing “welcome visitors” signs at the offices near school entry doors.

According to Candalor, the electronic log system cost the district $6,900. The district will tap a $25,000 grant it received from the state School Safety and Security Program to pay for the new system.

Assistant Technology Director Christopher Niklaus said the new system has many benefits. It checks names of visitors against a list of registered sex offenders, for example, and alerts administrators if there is a match. In addition, the system can provide alerts involving banned visitors or child custody problems by checking against a custom-made database.

The system also includes an emergency button that staff can activate if there are any problems at the front office.